AFC Group 5
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Iran returned to the global stage after not participating in the 1982 or 1986 World Cup qualifiers due to the Iran-Iraq war (1980–1988). Team Melli would however hope to resume where they left off, having appeared in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, which resulted in two losses and a credible draw against Scotland. Parviz Dehdari had been appointed new national coach in 1986, and immediately brought some success with a 3rd place in the 1988 edition of the AFC Asian Cup.
With only one team progressing from group 5 to the Final Round, Iran were however facing tough competition from China – incidentally the team they had beaten in the 3rd place play-off of the 1988 AFC Asian Cup. China had yet to qualify for any World Cup finals, and most recently experienced a major setup when they failed to progress to the final round of the 1986 qualifiers after a loss to Hong Kong. Much more was expected this time around, and results under manager Gao Fengwen (1986– ) in the 1988 AFC Asian Cup suggested that China were a serious contender for one of two AFC berths in Italia’90.
Very little to suggest, however, that the two other teams in group 5 could pose any threat to these two powerhouses. Both Bangladesh and Thailand were perennially struggling to assert themselves in both World Cup and AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
Results
Match 1
19.02.89: Thailand 1-0 Bangladesh
Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok
Match 2
23.02.89: China 2-0 Bangladesh
Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou
Match 3
23.02.89: Thailand 0-3 Iran
Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok
Match 4
27.02.89: Bangladesh 1-2 Iran
Bangabandhu Stadium, Dhaka
Match 5
28.02.89: Thailand 0-3 China
Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok
Match 6
04.03.89: Bangladesh 0-2 China
Bangabandhu Stadium, Dhaka
Match 7
08.03.89: Bangladesh 3-1 Thailand
Bangabandhu Stadium, Dhaka
Match 8
17.03.89: Iran 1-0 Bangladesh
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Match 9
30.05.89: Iran 3-0 Thailand
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Match 10
15.07.89: China 2-0 Iran
Tiexi New District Centre, Shenyang
Match 11
22.07.89: Iran 3-2 China
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Match 12
29.07.89: China 2-0 Thailand
Tiexi New District Centre, Shenyang
Final table
Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | China | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 10 |
2 | Iran | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 10 |
3 | Bangladesh | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
4 | Thailand | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 2 |